September 9, 2004 No. 101 Jacques Saada, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister responsible for La Francophonie, arrived in Algiers yesterday to encourage Algeria to join the International Organization of La Francophonie. This visit is part of a tour in preparation for the upcoming Summit of La Francophonie to be held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in November. Following his meeting with Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, Minister Saada said, “Algeria’s membership, which Canada would very much like to see, would strengthen La Francophonie as an increasingly modern organization with growing solidarity and openness to the world.” Earlier this week, Minister Saada had several meetings in Paris, including with Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of La Francophonie, and Xavier Darcos, French Minister Delegate for Cooperation, Development and La Francophonie. On September 10, Mr. Saada will arrive in Niamey, Niger, where he will speak with government officials organizing the Vth Games of La Francophonie, to be held in December 2005. He will be in Ouagadougou on September 11 to meet with Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, and the organizers of the Xth Summit of La Francophonie. - 30 - For further information, media representatives may contact: Jean-François del Torchio Office of the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister responsible for La Francophonie (613) 371-8174 Media Relations Office Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada (613) 995-1874 http://www.international.gc.ca
